Bills 2012 pick for Lynch improves to a 5th

The Bills knew they had two additional draft choices coming their way in the 2012 NFL draft based on a pair of trades over the past two seasons involving Marshawn Lynch and Lee Evans. Now the picture is clearer as to where those picks will be.

Buffalo traded Lynch to the Seattle Seahawks a few weeks into the 2010 season for a pair of draft choices, one in 2011 and one in 2012. They used their fourth-round pick last spring to take OT Chris Hairston. Their other pick was a conditional sixth-round pick that could improve to a fifth-round draft choice based on Lynch’s playing time for the Seahawks.

Buffalobills.com has learned that the league has confirmed the draft choice for the Bills has improved to a fifth-round pick. That pick will be 11th or 12th in round five based on the outcome of the league coin flip to determine whether Kansas City or Seattle will pick 11th in round one, with the two clubs alternating by round thereafter.

For the second year in a row Buffalo will also have an additional fourth-round pick from the Lee Evans trade just before the start of the 2011 regular season. That pick will be 29th in round four.

Through the first three rounds the Bills pick will rotate with those of the Carolina Panthers and Miami Dolphins, teams that also had 6-10 records in 2011.

Buffalo will pick 10th in round one, 41st overall in round two (9th in the round) and 72nd overall in round three (8th in the round). Knowing the overall picks beyond round three will not be known until after compensatory picks are awarded in March. Compensatory picks begin at the end of round three.

What is known is Buffalo will pick 10th in round four, ninth in round five, eighth in round six and 10th in round seven.

At this point the Bills have nine total picks with the possibility of an additional compensatory pick being awarded prior to the draft in late April.